Christ Above Human Wisdom: Colossians 2:6-15

Big Idea: Believers are called to live in the fullness of Christ, avoiding deceptive philosophies and standing firm in their identity and freedom in Him.

Introduction

Context: Paul’s letter to the Colossians warns against false teachings threatening the purity of the Gospel. These teachings often included Jewish legalism, pagan philosophies, cultural beliefs and a syncretistic mixture of all of them.

Sermon

I. Rooted and Built Up (v. 6-7)

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Verse 6: "As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."

Receiving Christ: By grace through faith, we receive Christ. This is the foundation of our Christian life. We must begin here or nothing else is going to matter.

So many people fight the words of God because they have never truly received the truth of Christ.

They stand opposed to him, even as they sit in church every Sunday. Friends, I pray this is none of us this morning.

Others stand opposed to him, even as we invite them to influence our thoughts, words, and actions by listening to and believing their words on social media, the news, podcasts, and radio stations.

Why are we so quick to listen to them? Why are we so quick to trust them? Because what they say contains human wisdom and it appeals to us.

We like it.

However, we are not simply called to receive Christ, we are called to walk in Christ

Walking in Christ:

This is best understood by the theological word Sanctification. Sanctification means to be made like Christ. To be sanctified. To be made into a Saint.

So, If we have received Him by faith, we are expected to continue walking in dependence on Him. We are expected to continue walking in a manner that shows we are being sanctified by Christ. And we see how sanctification works in the next verse.

Verse 7: "Rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith."

Rooted: Our only hope is to be rooted in Christ, our life must be so deeply grounded in Him that nothing else ultimately matters (John 15:5).

John 15:5 ESV

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Built up: Progressive sanctification as we grow more into His image.

Established in the faith: Strengthened in our conviction and trust in the Gospel, giving thanks for His grace.

II. The Danger of Worldly Wisdom (v. 8)

Colossians 2:8 ESV

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Verse 8: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition..."

We’re going to spend the most time in this verse because it really is the core instruction in this passage.

Philosophy and Empty Deceit:

At its core meaning, a philosophy is simply the way we explain life. Paul is warning Christians to not be quick to listen to human philosophy.

There are many philosophies in the world today and they truly threaten to take us captive. We are constantly bombarded by opinions and ideas that run counter to what Christ has told his people to follow!

By and large we are far more quick to be able to say the things our political party stands for than we are to be able to talk about the eternal things of Christ! We certainly have grand opinions on politics, but what happens when someone begins to speak about atonement theories or the history of Christianity? We suddenly become silent.

What happens when someone actually has a question to ask a Baptist? One of the signs that we have not adequately prepared ourselves to speak about the things of God, which are the most important things in all of our lives!, is the feeling of fear we experience.

In our sinfulness, we are quick to fill ourselves up with empty philosophies and slow to fill ourselves with the deeper things of God. And the primary reason we do this is because we really like the way it sounds. They have exactly the message our itching ears want to hear.

And it only leads us into captivity, bondage, slavery - to where we no longer can hear things clearly and ideas that would have once sounded preposterous to us, ideas that we once would have recognized stand firmly opposed to Christ, start to sound like plausible arguments as Paul stated in verse 4.

But we have been blinded, so we can no longer see them for what they are: false teachings from false teachers who only want to build themselves up.

False teachings are empty, they’re hollow and deceptive. The philosophies of the world distract from Christ’s sufficiency.

It doesn’t matter if they’re rooted in progressivism or conservatism,

Morality or Ethics,

Secularism or Religion,

Modern or Ancient times,

whether they appear Christian based or are blatantly anti-Christian

The philosophies of the world take our eyes off of Christ above all and branch us out into all sorts of errors.

It might help you to understand this through an illustration.

Trees in hurricanes

Oak trees are rooted and their branches spread out from the trunk and they appear to be mighty and impressive and healthy and they overshadow many.

Palm trees alternatively are very thin and their branches look a whole lot more like leaves.

But what trees survive hurricanes? When all other trees are broken and uprooted, palm trees still remain. They are specifically designed to survive massive storms and one of the key reasons for this is the fact that they do not branch away from their trunk.

In the same way, we could think we are rooted in Christ and strong like an oak tree but we are branching out in all sorts of ways. We are drawn away from the trunk in all sorts of directions and we think this makes us wise, but we’re just a great big impressive tree that’s staring down a hurricane. And when that hurricane comes, those branches will be the very reason we fall.

But if we are like a palm tree, staying close to the trunk which is Christ and his teachings, we will find that though we appear foolish, even to people who we love and want to like us, we will be able to withstand the storms that we will face. We will be able to stand confident in Christ knowing that even if all the world hates us, Christ loves us and is honored by our willingness to stand firm in the face of intense opposition.

Be a palm tree, rejecting human wisdom, your own wisdom, so that you will not fall.

Paul goes on to warn of Human Tradition: These are man-made rules, often exalting human wisdom over God’s revelation. Paul specifically was fighting against a few traditions in his time. Particularly Judaism and it’s various philosophies, as well as various influential Greek and Roman philosophies. And philosophies can often be called tradition because they go hand in hand in trying to explain our world and our lives.

But the thing with tradition? If it’s our tradition, we don’t always remember how it started and why. We just love it cause “that’s the way it’s always been.”

But what we often forget is how short and limited our experiences are. The oldest member of this church has seen little of the totality of Christian experience. Christ has been working through his bride for 2,000 years all over the world and “the way it has always been” is certainly not contained to our less than 100 years in our one nation, maybe only one state or region in that nation.

And that region has traditions that we have been born into and we don’t even know it. It’s just the way it’s always been and we don’t realize these are not the best ways of thinking or doing things because we don’t realize there are other ways of doing things. This is one of the many reasons we must engage with Christian history and we must engage with Christians around the world. It helps us to understand that our tradition has influenced us more than we think.

So what is it that we have done when we make a statement like that? We are ultimately making our own experiences the measure of truth. We have replaced Jesus with our human traditions. And one of the most difficult things about tradition is how much we like to cling to it, but we must be willing to move on from it if it is not holding us firmly to the trunk of Christ, keeping our eyes on him above everything.

But human traditions alone are not the enemy. These man-made rules and ways of thinking are Spiritual deceptions.

Elemental Spirits: But human traditions alone are not the enemy. These man-made rules and ways of thinking are Spiritual deceptions.

Our enemy is real and wants nothing more than to draw us away from unity in Christ by handing us shiny entertaining distractions and for us to become passionate about those. The more distracted we are by human wisdom regarding work and money, politics and government, family and sex, technology and time management, church and religion, the less we will be doing the work of Christ. And that is a win for our our enemy.

We must keep our eyes and our hearts fixed on Christ above all or we will fall. Our human wisdom is tainted with sin, and it looks to take us captive.

So then what wisdom can we cling to? The wisdom of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:25 ESV

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

According to Christ: Any teaching that is outside of Christ is to be ultimately rejected. If it is not taught in the Bible, then we must be willing to drop it at a moment’s notice.

And I’m not talking about being able to rip a verse out of context to support your human wisdom. I’m talking about taking the word of God seriously enough to change your entire way of looking at the world!

We must look at everything with Christ-colored glasses! We must keep our eyes on him above our own human wisdom! And we must fear God above all else or we will fall into trusting our own hearts instead of the instruction of our creator!

So often we take off those Christ glasses as soon as it suits us though.

This is seen in how quickly we share ideas that sound good but we never took the time or effort to ask how we could most glorify Jesus in how we engage with these ideas! We never ask whether this is godly wisdom or human wisdom and we make ourselves the measure by which we gauge everything else! And if we’re confronted on it, what do we do? We try to slap a Bible verse on it as if that’s some sort of overarching seal of God’s approval.

But You know what company we fall into when we do something like that, right?

Prosperity heretics

Cult leaders

Godless Politicians

LGBT idealogy

The ku kux klan

and so many others!

This is why I stress the importance of studying the scriptures and not simply reading them. Reading is only good in so far as we accurately understand what we are reading. And stop listening so much to people who have made their life’s work something other than seeking to understand and teach the Scriptures. They will offer you much plausible wisdom and you will fall into a captivity.

I know this is true because this has happened to me.

Heresy Hunting

I became so passionate about tearing down false teachers that I started looking for false teaching everywhere. One little mistake was all it took for me to join in with everyone saying “mark and avoid.”

Through it all I loved the LORD and I loved his truth, but I was ignorant to the dangers my own heart posed in that.

My passion for truth turned to anger and bitterness toward people that consistently twisted that truth and there were many people on the internet who encouraged me that direction. Many of them have popular youtube channels.

It has been the grace of God to remind me of my love for him and his people and to fix my eyes on Christ above all again.

I pray that if you have fallen into this sort of trap, no matter what the subject matter is, that you would be blessed with the wisdom that comes from Christ and not from the world. The wisdom that leads you to fear and respect God and his power above your own heart’s pleasures and desires.

Psalm 111:10 (ESV)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

And holding onto anger and bitterness is a form of self-pleasuring. It feels good to feel like you’re right to be angry at something or someone and you want to be able to retain that pleasure. It hurts to let go of something you feel like you have a right to be angry at, but it is a pain that is similar to the cutting away of an infection.

It hurts, but it heals.

How do we know that we are actually letting go of human wisdom and trusting in Christ alone?

By remembering the supremacy of Christ.

III. The Supremacy of Christ (v. 9-10)

Colossians 2:9–10 ESV

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Verse 9: "For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."

Fullness of Deity: Christ is fully God—He is not a created being or a mere teacher but God incarnate. If he were not fully God he could not save us from God’s righteous wrath against our sin. If he was not fully human he could not represent us to God as our intercessor.

This is called the hypostatic union, and I mentioned this last week after the Children’s moment. It’s a big word but it is vital to our faith and if we get this wrong we get Christianity wrong and we’re in danger of damnation because we need this perfect, Divine, intercessor.

Verse 10: "And you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority."

Filled in Him: Believers are made complete in Christ. We lack nothing for salvation because we have been filled with His life and righteousness.

So be filled with Christ and reject all

Head of All Authority: Christ’s supremacy over all rulers, spiritual powers, and authorities underscores the futility of relying on any other spiritual system.

IV. Union with Christ (v. 11-12)

Colossians 2:11–12 ESV

11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Verse 11: "In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands..."

Spiritual Circumcision: Refers to the cutting away of our sinful nature (Romans 2:29). In Christ, the old self has been put to death.

Verse 12: "Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him..."

Baptism and Burial: Symbolizes our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Just as Christ was raised, so we have been raised to new life in Him (Romans 6:4).

Baptism is the sign of being brought into the new covenant.

V. Freedom from Sin and the Law (v. 13-14)

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Verse 13: "And you, who were dead in your trespasses... God made alive together with Him..."

Dead in Sin: We were spiritually dead before salvation, unable to save ourselves.

You and I have a great problem. God offered to all of humanity his Divine wisdom of how to live and each one of us has chosen instead to listen to human wisdom and act in ways that go against God. This is sin. Believing human wisdom is sin and it makes us enemies of God, deserving of His wrath.

But God loved his creation from all over the world so much that from the very beginning he had a plan to restore a new nation out of their captivity to human wisdom. His own eternal and divine Son came to earth to live life as a human to win for himself a new humanity through defeating sin, and leading them into new and eternal life.

Made Alive in Christ: God has raised us to spiritual life through union with Christ. Salvation is entirely His work, by grace.

Verse 14: "By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands..."

Record of Debt: Refers to the Law's condemnation of sinners. The Law revealed our guilt, but Christ’s death canceled our debt.

Nailed to the Cross: Christ bore the penalty for our sin, taking the curse of the Law upon Himself (Galatians 3:13).

VI. Christ’s Victory Over Spiritual Powers (v. 15)

Colossians 2:15 ESV

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Verse 15: "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."

Disarmed Authorities: Christ's death and resurrection have defeated the powers of sin, death, and Satan (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Believers need not fear these spiritual forces, for Christ has triumphed over them.

Triumphal Procession: Christ’s victory is likened to a Roman triumph, where the defeated enemies are paraded in shame. Christ's victory is final and complete.

Conclusion

Application: Living in the Fullness of Christ

1. Root yourself in Christ:

Daily, we must draw from the sufficiency of Christ for our spiritual nourishment and strength.

2. Reject Worldly Wisdom:

Be discerning of any teaching or worldview that does not align with the Gospel.

3. Rest in Christ’s Victory:

We stand free from condemnation, empowered by the resurrection life of Christ, and no longer under the sway of the powers of darkness.

4. Remain Grateful:

Live a life of thankfulness, acknowledging that our salvation is fully accomplished in Christ, leaving no room for fear or legalism.

Conclusion

In Christ, we are complete. His sufficiency frees us from the bondage of sin, worldly philosophies, and empty human traditions. Let us walk in Him, rooted, built up, and abounding in thanksgiving, knowing that His victory is our victory. Amen.